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Reflections from the year on core value priorities:

“…We are going to have to work together – in spirit and in truth – together, in unity and in love, agape love. Because that’s what’s going to make America great for once, and for all…” –Robyn Porter (Cohort 14) post in The Current

“Universal love, because I’m a Christian and therefore don’t have a choice – and because I continue to believe that it is the only thing that can transform the world. People regularly tell me that this is impractical. But how do we know? We’ve never tried it. Furthermore, nothing else has worked.” –Colleen Shaddox (Cohort 1) Interview

“My siblings and I are tighter than black eyes on peas and we all live in different states, but we are very close. My mother died of cancer and did not leave us with anything of monetary value, but what she did leave us was priceless — she left us with the unbreakable bond of family…” –Steve Driffin (Cohort 12) Interview

“…In short, one of the things I learned in church as well as in my community was the importance and requirement to give back. It was my responsibility to work for the improvement of Community; by doing so, I would have an opportunity to uplift humanity…” –Amos Smith (Cohort 6) post in The Current

“Personal Wellness… Protecting my spirit, heart and soul. For years I spent a great deal of my life giving until I was exhausted. You cannot give what you do not have. I have learned to VALUE my well being. To take myself out of the mix on a regular basis. No is a complete sentence.” –Babz Rawls Ivy (Cohort 1) Interview

“…I see the path to liberation, freedom and joy being through recognizing and telling the truth about how we’ve gotten into the state that we are in and hopefully choosing to rectify, to begin to cho0se right action…” –Niyonu Spann (Cohort 15) Interview

“…listen – really listen to each other, and open ourselves to being transformed by someone else’s perspective on what ‘race’ is or means, based on life experience that is different from our own…” –Gloria Graves Holmes (Cohort 7) post in The Current

“…I grew up with ‘having it all figured out’ as something that helped me to navigate stressful and confusing times… The down side was that it planted a seed that my personal wellbeing is dependent on that knowing. Especially difficult when Life is not about knowing it all and figuring it all out, but being able to live it…” –Enroue Awo Onigbonna Halfkenny (Cohort 10) Interview

“…my family has always been a source of inspiration and love for me… I’ve felt incredibly inspired to get back to my writing. So, I think Creativity is the value driving me now…” –Janis Astor del Valle (Cohort 10) Interview

“…the desire (which is contradicted by the evidence) that if we could all just see our common red blood running through our veins rather than our skin color, then there would be peace on earth good will toward men…” –Thomas Robert Ficklin, Jr. (Cohort 13) Interview

“…I realize now how important it is for me to both seek and spread joy whenever I am able. It can be the most powerful form of resistance and strength. In her book, ‘Hope in the Dark,’ Rebecca Solnit said: ‘Joy doesn’t betray but sustains activism. And when you face a politics that aspires to make you fearful, alienated and isolated, joy is a fine act of insurrection.’” –Elizabeth Nearing (Cohort 20) Interview

“…We as a nation need to regain and master the seemingly lost art of empathy, recognizing that empathy does not require agreement. Empathy is simply the practiced ability to feel from someone else’s perspective. Until empathy is restored, words like justice, fear, mercy, and even ‘greatness’ will be to some, like ‘chichi’ was to me… a wall that’s in the way of understanding, rather than a bridge toward it…” –Todd C. Foster (Cohort 9) post in The Current

“It’s still belonging for me… the theme song to the television sitcom, ‘Cheers,’ and Lord knows, I just loved Fred Rogers. Both of the theme songs can still bring tears to my eyes. Sing with me: ‘sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name….dun, dun, dun, dun… and they’re always glad you came….’ I’ve always wanted to belong; I came here wanting to find neighbors just like you.” –Brandon Hutchinson (Cohort 17) Interview

“…let’s choose our humanity. Our dream is to live in peace. Let’s choose to act now and create a better world for us, our children, and generations to come.” –Divine Mahoundi, in Chris George (Cohort 7) Bridges post

“…another question, in the title of the book written by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: ‘Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?’ It is as prophetic and powerful today as it was back in 1967, calling for a present answer. One of his answers was that ‘the moral arc of the universe is long but it bends towards justice;’ this was also stated by Albert Einstein and Unitarian Minister Theodore Parker. Another answer… ‘We must learn to live together as brothers (and sisters) or perish together as fools.’” –Rev. Bonita Grubbs (Cohort 2) Interview

“Family is my top value. It’s the base of my life, my actions, my aspirations, and more. When everything else is said and done, my family will be there. Everything begins and ends with them.” –Landon Osborn (Cohort 20) Interview

“I can make a long list of reasons why empathy, grace, and active listening are qualities needed now more than ever to bring civility and compassion to the political discourse. And while we indeed need these to move toward the gold star, even more so I believe a politically engaged and active population will influence and create an operative government that is accountable to our interests…” –Nancy Roldán Johnson (Cohort 10) post in The Current

“Integrity! Our society is being stripped away from it and it appears as if people are not so concerned with the ramifications that are associated with lack of ethics. I work hard to keep integrity because I want to be trusted in my community and called upon when needed.” –Elvin Melendez (Cohort 21) Interview

“…we can work together to get him what he needs to be successful. Instead, because those things take more time… it just becomes this practice of what’s easier versus what’s best.” –Kia Levey Burden (Cohort 8) on The Table Underground with Tagan Engel (Cohort 12), post in The Current

“…we have to show up, serve those in need, show good outcomes, and convince those less in need that they have a responsibility to support the work…” –Alice Forrester (Cohort 4) post in The Current

“I want a theology that begins to deepen people’s understanding about their capacity to live fully human lives and to touch the goodness inside of them…” –Dr. Ruby Sales, Bridges post

“We do not believe in Gross National Product. Gross National Happiness is more important.”–Jigme Singye Wangchuck, His Majesty the Fourth King of Bhutan, Bridges post

“Rarely, if ever, does an empathic response begin with ‘at least…’” –Brene Brown, Bridges post

Curated by The Circle’s Creative Director & Editor, Lara Herscovitch (Cohort 10). To reach Lara directly: thecircle@clpnewhaven.org or Lara@LaraHerscovitch.com

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